Nintendo bringing classic game downloads to Wii U in spring with GamePad support

We knew Nintendo was working on bringing downloadable classic games to the Wii U, and today president Satoru Iwata revealed that the feature will be available right after a system update this spring. Both NES and Super NES games will be available when the Wii U Virtual Console launches, and Nintendo also announced that Game Boy Advance games will eventually be coming to the service as well. The games will be playable on the Wii U’s GamePad controller and there will also be some form of integration with MiiVerse, the console’s social network. For users who have already purchased Virtual Console games on the original Wii, Nintendo will be offering discounts for those same games on the Wii U — NES games, normally priced between $4.99 and $5.99 will be $1, while SNES games will be $1.50 as opposed to the regular $7.99-$8.99.

The Virtual Console isn’t the only new feature Wii U owners can expect this spring, however — MiiVerse will finally be expanding beyond the confines of the console. As teased at last year’s E3, users will eventually be able to browse the network from the comfort of their smartphones. Initially this will only be possible via a web browser, but the company says it has plans to launch a “dedicated Miiverse app” later on. Unfortunately, no release window of platforms were announced for the app.